Least Favorite Scene

The end credits.

 

Because they ended.

 

For me, it's the scene in ROTJ where Luke tells Leia that she's his sister. Not only does it contain some of the most stilted dialogue in the entire saga (and yeah, I'm talking about the PT too) but it's also one of the first times that Lucas laid one of his "contractually obligated" expositional scenes on us.

That was one of the things that always bothered me in the PT. All too often, something would happen not so much because the story had unfolded that way, but more because it needed to be checked off of a list of established plot requirements. This scene between Luke and Leia was very much along those same lines. In tying up all the loose ends after ditching the idea of Luke's story being a nine-film saga in favor of resolving it all in ROTJ, Lucas had to figure out a way to address the issue of "the other" that Yoda had spoken of in ESB - and turning Leia into Luke's sister was about the only way they were going to be able to do that without eating up a ton of screen time introducing a new main character.

So, the scene is there in part because it HAD to be there due to the last-minute change of plan in bringing Luke's story down from a nine-film saga to a three-film trilogy (and of course, this was before there was any thought of a Sequel Trilogy.)

And boy does it play off that way, too. I don't think I saw dialogue that bad, that forced and unnatural-sounding, until the fireplace scene in AOTC. Leia's lines, especially. Many of them don't even sound like anything that Leia would say, Carrie delivered them as though she was just reading them... and don't even get me started on the "Somehow I've always known" bit.

And then even when Han comes in, the scene doesn't get any better. Once again, the dialogue doesn't really sound like Han and Leia, even taking into account the fact that they've both acknowledged their feelings for one another and obviously wouldn't bicker the same way they had before. The whole scene has always felt flat and lifeless to me, as exposition scenes can so easily do if enough care isn't taken in writing them. (I'm not sure how much of that scene's dialogue came from Kasdan, but if it was all his then IMHO it was hardly his most shining hour as a screenwriter.)

 

This :

(plus anything added by the Special Editions - I'm lookin at you, "Jedi Rocks"!)

 

The scene aboard the Millennium Falcon in which Ben tries teaching Luke how to use a lightsaber to defend himself against a remote. There's nothing particularly wrong with that scene; it's just too long and too boring. Luke's introduction to the Force should have been magnificent. Instead, all we get is helmet-hair Luke saying "You know, I think I did feel something!"

The pig-guys on Cloud City playing keep away from Chewbacca with Threepio's head. Really? Hey Chewie, next time pull the arms off one of them pigs and see how fast the others trip over themselves to rebuild Threepio for you.

 

I agree with Luke telling Lea that she is his sister. Also, HOW DOES LEIA REMEMBER PADME??? ..

 

As a kid I used to always plug my ears during that scene because it was so bad, even young me could see that, and young me thought that baby geniuses was a good movie.

The one thing that always got me was just a quick exchange of dialogue in IV

"I'm here with Ben Kenobi"

"Ben Kenobi? Where is he!"

How on earth does Leia know the nickname of Obi-Wan that was adopted to you know HIDE HIS IDENTITY AS A JEDI

 

This always bugged me; why aren't these three foot Ugnaughts terrified of an eight foot Wookie?

 

IV: Luke's training with the remote inside the Falcon, but not for the scene itself, just for the bad spanish translation of some sentences. On the Special Edition, Jabba's scene. It's just ridiculous when Han step over Jabba's tail.
V: Can't really think anything I don't like on it.
VI: Lapti Nek/Jedi Rock (specially the latest, since it's the most obvious addition and it stands out as out of place)

 

Agree with the Luke/Leia scene. Jedi Rocks (if we can count SE changes). Ending of IV, no medal for Chewie, or Wedge! I love every scene from Empire (even the space worm nonsense). I always thought the battle briefing in RotJ was way to informal. Just making Han and Lando "Generals" willy-nilly. Luke just busts in and glory-hogs "I'm with you too!". It just seems like a very disorganized strategy meeting.

 

One thing that hit me the other day in regards to Mon Cal Cruisers. Not sure if it's canon anymore but it was said Mon Cal cruisers could only be piloted by Mon Cal's because of the configuration of the controls.

Well Mon Calamari are an aquatic species why would they want to simulate land on their cruisers, wouldn't they be equally effective in null gravity or even better liquid environments. For practical reasons both behind and in front of the scenes I can see why they'd create such an environment. Even if No-Mon Cal's can't pilot the ships the Rebel Alliance is a multi-species organization and everybody need to make accommodations for the others, "I'm sorry but I can't rescue your crew because our ship is filled with water and you'll drown."

It's just something that I thought about

 

"Hold me..."

(still 100 times better than "Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo; so long ago when there was nothing but our love.")

shivers...

 

Chewie not getting a medal always bothered me too! Wookies are people too!(chewie) (and see my avatar for my feelings on Wedge)

 

The special edition band in Jabbas palace ROJ has to be the worst...prior to special edition...I would have to go with Luke saying anything whine wise in ANH

mod (DarthDwight) - i fixed it for you

 

The overly airbrushed alien added to the cantina in "special" edition.

 

ANH:
Greedo shooting first. Seriously, we know Han's a morally-grey character, so nothing surprised me in the original movie about him shooting Greedo dead. Oh, and changing Obi-Wan's Krayt Dragon screech to whatever it was that they changed it to that completely didn't work. Ugh.

TESB:
Not a single thing - this was clearly the greatest SW movie made to date. But I have an inkling that TFA will overshadow even TESB.

RotJ:
Ewoks, everything about the furry little sods. And the random, pointless inclusion of Jedi Rocks in Jabba's Palace - surely that whole piece should have been a background piece of music like Max Reebo's cantina music?